The Darkdeep (Darkdeep #1)
Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Published October 1, 2018
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
About THE DARKDEEP
When a bullying incident sends twelve-year-old Nico Holland over the edge of a cliff into the icy waters of Still Cove, where no one ever goes, friends Tyler and Ella – and even ‘cool kid’ Opal -rush to his rescue… only to discover an island hidden in the swirling mists below.
Shrouded by dense trees and murky tides, the island appears uninhabited, although the kids can’t quite shake the feeling that something about it is off. Their suspicions grow when they stumble upon an abandoned houseboat with an array of curiosities inside: odd-looking weapons, unnerving portraits, maps to places they’ve never heard of, and a glass jar containing something completely unidentifiable.
As the group delves deeper into the unknown, their discoveries – and their lives -begin to intertwine in weird and creepy ways. Something ancient has awakened… and it knows their wishes and dreams – and their darkest, most terrible secrets. Do they have what it takes to face the shadowy things that lurk within their own hearts?
My Review
Equally spooky and full of heart, THE DARKDEEP is part campfire ghost story and part celebration of friendship and small town life. I remember really loving R. L. Stine’s books when I was in sixth and seventh grade, so when I saw the endorsement on the cover, I figured THE DARKDEEP would have at least some of the same spooky/otherworldly stuff in it, and it definitely does!
The friendships and adventure of the story make this a great read for late elementary school and middle school readers. There are some monster elements, but some humor mixed in, so that while the kids face dangerous situations, they’re not terrifying. I’m super curious about the next book in the series, THE BEAST, which comes out in October 2019.
Representation
None.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None in the text. There might be a couple places where it says something like “so-and-so cursed” or something.
Romance/Sexual Content
None. There’s some I-like-you energy between a boy and girl, but nothing beyond that.
Spiritual Content
When Nico and his friends perform a certain action on the houseboat, they awaken a figment of something they had in a memory. Maybe a cartoon they once watched or game they played. It might be something they’re afraid of. The figments gain power the more Nico et al interact with the houseboat.
Violent Content
Some situations of peril. Nico faces constant verbal bullying from a peer and his friends.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links which cost you nothing but help support my blog.
I saw this in my local library and thought it looks really good! I might have to take it out sometime.
Yay! I wondered how I missed hearing about it when it first came out– I like Ally Condie. Hope you get a chance to read it!